Two-way email (IMAP inbound + outbound) and SMS in a single conversation thread. Email templates with merge tags, Preview As with real client data, custom sending domains, live SMS segment cost counter, and A2P 10DLC compliance built in.
Conversations
184
+22 this week
Emails Sent
312
+48 today
SMS Sent
89
+14 today
Avg Response Time
18 min
↓ 7 min
What it is
A two-way messaging hub that combines email (IMAP inbound + outbound via custom domain) and SMS (A2P 10DLC compliant) into a single conversation thread per client. Email templates with merge tags resolve against real AMS records. SMS shows a live cost counter before every send. All messages are logged to the client record automatically.
Email works immediately — no SMTP setup required. Inbound emails arrive via IMAP (or Microsoft Graph for Office 365) and render as full HTML in the thread. Outbound emails go from your custom domain (hello@youragency.com). Connect multiple email accounts — all verified addresses appear in the From dropdown in compose. An email signature editor lets you set a rich-text signature that appends to every outgoing message automatically.
As you type an SMS, a live counter shows character count, segment count, and estimated cost: '245 chars · 2 segments · $0.0198'. Color shifts green under 140 characters, amber at 140–159, and red at 160+. SMS requires A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration — the system blocks sending until your campaign is approved, protecting your agency from carrier filtering. A usage widget in the inbox footer shows current-month segments and estimated bill.
Core capabilities
Inbound and outbound email, inbound and outbound SMS — searchable, filterable, bulk-actionable.
Every message arrives and is sent from one inbox. Filter by channel (All / Email / SMS), select multiple conversations, and bulk Archive or Delete. Unread badges clear automatically when you open a thread. Conversation search covers contact name, company, and email. Archive conversations to keep the inbox focused without deleting history.
Switch channels within a conversation. A Call tab joins Email and SMS when the contact has a phone number.
A client not responding to email? Toggle to SMS in the same thread. The full history — emails, texts, and call logs — stays unified under the client record. When a contact has a phone number on file, a Call tab appears alongside Email and SMS so you can dial without leaving the conversation.
Send from your agency domain. Connect multiple email accounts — all appear in the From dropdown.
Configure your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) so emails come from hello@youragency.com instead of a generic platform address. Connect more than one email account — each verified address appears in the From dropdown at compose time. A rich-text email signature editor appends your sign-off automatically to every outgoing email.
Live counter shows 'X chars · Y segments · $Z.ZZ' as you type. SMS requires A2P 10DLC registration.
Standard SMS is 160 characters (1 segment); longer messages split at 153 characters each at $0.0099/segment. The counter color-shifts — green under 140, amber at 140–159, red at 160+ — so you can trim before sending. SMS is gated until your agency's A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration is approved through Twilio Trust Hub, protecting you from carrier filtering.
Template builder with categories, 'Applies To' tags, merge tags, and Preview As with real client data.
Build email templates organized by category: New Business, Renewal, Remarketing, Quote/Proposal, Claims, Certificates/COI, E-Signature, and more. Each template supports merge tags that resolve against actual AMS records — client name, policy details, renewal premium, days to expiration, premium change $ and %. Use Preview As to search a real client and see the exact rendered email before saving, with a warning for any unresolved tags. Insert Button tool drops in a styled CTA like 'Review Quote' or 'Sign Document'.
Every sent and received message — email and SMS — is logged to the client record.
When a message is sent or received, it appears in the client's Activity tab with timestamp, channel, and content. Inbound HTML emails render with full formatting, server-side sanitized to strip scripts and malicious CSS while preserving layout. This creates a complete communication audit trail for E&O protection without any manual effort.
What they don't do
Using Outlook or Gmail alongside your AMS means communications live outside client records. When an E&O question comes up, you're searching two systems instead of one.
Agents texting clients from personal phones creates compliance risk, loses message history when the agent leaves, and prevents the agency from maintaining a communication audit trail.
Copy-pasting from a Word doc and manually filling in client name, policy number, and renewal dates takes minutes per email and introduces errors. Merge tags resolve all of that automatically.
Requiring agents to BCC a special address to log emails into the AMS is fragile. One forgotten BCC and the communication is invisible to the rest of the team.
Without custom sending domains, emails come from generic platform addresses that clients don't recognize, reducing open rates and eroding professional trust.
SMS platforms that hide per-segment pricing make budgeting impossible. Insurstein shows the exact cost as you type — $0.0099/segment — so there are no invoice surprises.
What it takes off your plate
Incoming emails are fetched via IMAP (or Microsoft Graph for Office 365), parsed as full RFC 2822 HTML, sanitized, and placed into the correct conversation thread automatically.
Template merge tags resolve against real AMS records at send time — client name, policy details, renewal premium, premium change %, days to expiration — with a warning for any unresolved tags.
Outbound segments are billed after successful Twilio delivery at $0.0099/segment. Inbound segments use Twilio's NumSegments value. Monthly usage invoice sent to agency admins on the 1st via Stripe.
Email replies maintain threading so full conversations are grouped together. IMAP and Microsoft Graph pollers auto-flag contacts as 'Responded' when a reply arrives — stopping active sequences on that contact.
Unread counts on the Email and SMS header icons poll every 15 seconds. Badges clear automatically when you open the conversation — no manual mark-as-read needed.
Every message — sent and received — is timestamped, attributed to an agent, and stored with the client record, meeting E&O documentation requirements without additional effort.
A day in the life
8:00 AM
Open the unified inbox and see 7 new messages — 5 emails and 2 inbound texts. The unread badges cleared as soon as each thread was opened. Filter to Email only and work through the inbound client replies first.
8:45 AM
A client emailed asking for their certificate of insurance. Attach the COI (up to 20MB) directly from their Documents tab and send a formatted reply with your saved signature appended automatically.
10:00 AM
An email to a prospect went unanswered for 3 days. Toggle to SMS in the same conversation. The counter shows '42 chars · 1 segment · $0.0099'. The prospect replies in 4 minutes.
1:30 PM
Open the Renewal reminder template. Use Preview As to search a real client — merge tags resolve to their actual policy details, renewal premium, and days to expiration. Confirm no unresolved tags and send to 6 clients.
3:00 PM
The usage widget in the inbox footer shows '312 segments · $3.09 est.' for the month. Well within budget. All messages are already logged to the respective client activity records — nothing to manually enter.
Daily impact
Messages Sent
Response Rate
Avg Response Time
Channel Switches
Two-way email via IMAP, two-way SMS with live segment costs, email templates with merge tags, custom sending domains — all logged to client records automatically.